It’s
a more high-tech, modern Frankenstein version with a woman as the mad doctor.
She has plans for her ex-husband and his new wife that will mess with their
heads -- literally.

What got you interested into the
Frankenstein
myth (and the mad scientist subgenre as such) in the first place to try
your hand at it? And how would you describe your "female
approach" to the genre?

I
am always interested in telling stories that turn gender expectations
upside down, and this seemed like a genre that hadn’t really been given
the female touch. This is an updated
Frankenstein story with a woman in
the lead role as the doctor Frankenstein, and it’s more similar to the
original story than it is to the movie versions that followed.

My
Frances Stein is a research scientist and she has high-tech tools to
enable her “god” complex. If you’re looking for monsters made out of
body parts, you won’t find that here. But you may find yourself spooked
by what desperate people can do to other people to gain control. It’s
more of a thriller than a horror story, but it has a definite dark side to
it.

I
absolutely love Re-Animator and in fact got to meet some of the cast
recently at HorrorHound. The research facility setting of that is
definitely an influence, as much of
Frances Stein
takes place in a similar
kind of place. Others include Brainstorm, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, The Brain that Wouldn’t Die, Total Recall. Even The Walking Dead
has had an influence.

The
common theme is mind-control. The question of where the physical body ends
and the “soul” begins is a huge philosophical question, and I have
explored that in this script.

How
would you describe your movie's approach to horror (as in suspense vs
sudden shocks, atmosphere vs all-out gore and the like)?

I
would probably not call it horror. It’s more of a scientific thriller.
There are surprises, and definitely suspense, but the plot leans more
toward finding out who is going to gain control in the end.

Mad
scientist movies most often require quite a bit of effects work, fun lab
sets and the like - so what can you tell us about those aspects of Frances Stein?

That’s
what we’re raising money for! We’ve
been working on a prototype for the central piece and that’s what you
see in the
Frances Stein
Kickstarter photo, but it will be more refined
and elaborate for the actual movie.

A few words about your film's intended look
and feel?

I
am going for a stylized science thriller on the order of Brainstorm.

Anything you can tell us about Frances Stein's
projected key cast and crew yet, and why exactly these people?

We’re
actually looking to secure someone with name recognition to give us higher
visibility. Outside of that, we have some new faces, and some regulars
from our other productions that you’ll probably recognize.

As
we speak, your film's still in the fundraising stages - so what can you
tell us about your fundraising efforts?

We
have some funding in place, but felt we needed a little more to get the
desired look for
Frances Stein, especially the lab. We’re about halfway
there as I’m writing, but I’m sure we’ll make the final push before
it’s over. Anyone who would like to participate should go to the link.
Just $33 gets you BOTH a streaming version of
Frances Stein
AND a
director-signed copy of the DVD!